Passes & Canyons Blog

Demo rides are a great way to try out different motorcycles, whether you’re looking to buy a new bike soon or just want to see what you like for whenever the time comes. Just don’t show up without proper gear.

Of course, the problem is that no two manufacturers seem to have exactly the same list of what they consider proper gear. Play it safe and go the ATGATT route. That way you’ll be covered (ha, ha–pun intended).

I went over to Foothills BMW yesterday to demo ride some Triumphs. It was a nice day and I didn’t feel the need to wear gloves, but they were in my pocket. When I saw the list of what Triumph was requiring, there they were on the list, gloves. Glad I had them.

I met up with my friend Randy there, and he had also come to ride some Triumphs. Randy had his helmet but he didn’t have a jacket or gloves. It never crossed his mind. Fortunately, one of the guys running the demos was just his size and loaned Randy his own jacket and gloves, so Randy got to ride.

There really is no consistency. You’d think all manufacturers would require a helmet at a minimum, but I’ve been to demo ride events where they were optional. Also, Triumph was requiring simply “no open toe shoes.” Sneakers were OK. That surprised me, considering I had just done this RiderCoach training recently where one paying student was turned away because he only had sneakers, not boots that fully covered his ankles.

Sometimes they want you to have a jacket or long-sleeve shirt at least. For the MSF rider courses that’s the requirement, though lord knows a long-sleeve shirt isn’t going to do you any more good in a get-off than a simple T-shirt. And other times I’ve seen just T-shirts to be OK.

The bottom line is that you just can’t tell. Better to go to the demo ride event with ALL your gear. Then if they don’t require it and you don’t want to wear it, don’t. But don’t put yourself in a position where you come all this way only to be turned away.

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Biker Quote for Today

Don’t run your fingers over my bike and I won’t run my bike over your fingers.

This is a little bit of short notice but I finally paid attention to it myself. Jerry Pokorny, who is associated with the British Motorcycle Association of Colorado and who I’ve mentioned here before, is the featured speaker tonight at Erico Motorsports.

“Tales of Speed” is the title for his presentation, and it is about setting land speed records on the Bonneville Salt Flats. Jerry has set two such records, the most recent a little over a month ago on his 1954 BSA A-10 “Golden Flash.” He also set a record in 2008 on his 1945 Triumph 3HW.

Erico is located in downtown Denver at 2855 Walnut St. . The doors open at 6 p.m. and the presentation begins at 6:30. As an added attraction, after Jerry’s presentation, Erico will unveil the new Triumph Sprint GT.

The invitation I received said to RSVP to Tai at Tai@ericomotorsports.com. I’m not sure that’s totally necessary but it can’t hurt. I’m sure they’d like to know how many to expect.

Maybe I’ll see you there.

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Biker Quote for Today

You ain’t livin’ unless you’re livin’ on the edge.